Pretoria: The Government of the Republic of South Africa has welcomed the findings of the United Nations (UN) Commission of Inquiry stating that Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. In a 72-page report released on Tuesday, the commission concluded that Israel is responsible for committing genocide, failing to prevent genocide, and failing to punish genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
According to South African Government News Agency, the report asserts that Israeli authorities and security forces have committed, and continue to commit, four acts of genocide. These include causing Palestinians “serious bodily and mental harm,” “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part,” and “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.”
Reports indicate that close to 65,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. International reports suggest that the majority of the population has been repeatedly displaced. Over 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed. Additionally, the healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene systems have collapsed, while the UN-backed food security experts have declared a famine in Gaza City.
According to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), this UN report stands as a stark confirmation of the situation that compelled South Africa to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023. The ICJ subsequently issued three successive orders on provisional measures on 26 January, 28 March, and 24 May 2024, aimed at protecting Palestinians in Gaza from irreparable harm.
DIRCO expressed profound disappointment that the commission’s report highlights that these binding interim orders have not been heeded by Israel. In the face of this latest report, which provides a comprehensive, forensically detailed account of an ongoing genocide, the need for international action has never been more urgent. South Africa reiterates its call for all States to immediately fulfil their solemn obligations under the Genocide Convention.
The South African government has submitted three public dossiers of information to the United Nations Security Council — a measure to ensure the UN acts in accordance with Article 94 of its Charter. These dossiers provide evidence related to the State of Israel’s intent and incitement to commit genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. They document Israel’s acts of genocide against the Palestinians, as well as its deliberate actions of starvation, the weaponisation of aid, and other expressions of genocidal intent towards the Palestinian people in Gaza.
DIRCO stated that it is increasingly clear that Palestinian people are facing a threat of erasure in real time. The entire system of international law is on the line, and at stake is not merely the fate of the Palestinian people, but the very principle of justice over impunity.